Security increased at area schools: Extra officers sent to help quell fears

Tuesday

Dec 18, 2012 at 3:15 AM

By Samantha Allensallen@fosters.com

DOVER — School and law enforcement officials reported on Monday, the first school day following the mass shooting incident in Newtown, Conn., that security had been increased at public schools in the area, where safety was made a priority for the community.

In Dover, Garrison Elementary School Principal Dustin Gray said staff worked carefully with parents to coordinate the quelling of student’s fears, while across the district, schools received extra police attention with an on-site presence.

Many area police departments placed extra patrolmen at public schools, in Dover, Rochester and Farmington, to name a few. The Farmington Police Department Facebook page was plastered with much praise from the community, with residents thanking officials for helping them feel a little better about their children’s protection that day.

Gray said at his school, teachers worked directly with parents over the weekend, advising them on how to broach the subject with youngsters who may have caught a jarring glimpse of the breaking news scene.

“Parents were concerned about what they should share with their kids, what schools would share, and what improvements in safety we would see immediately in school,” Gray said, noting Garrison Elementary has a locking mechanism with a buzzer in place at their facility.

He added although the school would not change anything in the short-term, the school administration is hoping to meet in the coming weeks to discuss an update of their existing emergency policies and procedures.

“From a school safety standpoint, I feel we’re in a good place,” Gray said. “That being said, there’s always room for an improvement. We just need to make sure we’re very thoughtful about what changes we make and how we communicate that with parents and the Dover community at large.”

Rochester Superintendent Michael Hopkins said for his district, he was “as confident we can be in these times,” when it came to matters of security, noting the Rochester School Board had been thorough in keeping emergency procedures as up to date as possible.

“We sent out letters to parents and administrators yesterday, just telling them what we were doing about visibility and if anybody had any concerns to let us know, but we’ve had ongoing changes and adjustments to security…,” Hopkins said. “We think having the doors locked at the elementary and middle schools have really helped that.”

The Rochester School Board has considered installing surveillance cameras and specialized locking systems for all 55 exterior doors at Spaulding High School in the recent months, to which Hopkins said the Connecticut shooting incident could point to the need for that.

Rochester Police Capt. Paul Toussaint confirmed police were out in front of all the district schools to emphasize the Lilac City staying safe on Monday. Asked about Spaulding’s lack of exterior door security, Toussaint referred to it as a “tough situation.”

“We’re confident that we’ve taken steps in the right direction to make these kids safe and we’ve been working with the school department,” Toussaint said. “Can you say this is never going to happen? Obviously, no. We like to take a proactive training with officers in active shootings. The school department has plans in place for all schools so the issue has certainly been addressed.”

Toussaint added the in-school resource officers, known as SROs, at Spaulding and Rochester Middle School act as the “eyes and ears” for Rochester police, so the department feels they are on top of security during the school day.

Farmington Police Chief Kevin Willey said since the town eliminated its SRO position last June, he has seen a rise in juvenile arrests and violent crime. He hopes to reinstate the district position for the next school year, pending the approval of the local Budget Committee.

But Willey noted the department continues to prepare for the worst, especially following this national tragedy, with an active shooter training planned for next week while students are on winter break. Officers will take a two-hour class before playing out various dangerous scenarios in the halls of Farmington High School.

Monday afternoon, and morning, where Farmington officers were placed outside local schools as students came and went, Willey said he believed families’ fears were somewhat allayed.

“It was our job to be there, to lessen that anxiety, and make them feel a little safer,” he said, “so kids could go about their schoolwork instead of having it in the back of their mind for whether or not they feel that school is a safe place.”

Cynthia Sparks, principal of Valley View Community School in Farmington, which serves students kindergarten through grade 3, said she was happy to report Monday was a “regular day” for students. She said parents were notified Sunday night of the increased police presence.

“We have our doors locked and no concerns right now,” Sparks said. “There are conversations as to what are the latest ideas out there but we try to keep everything as much in the forefront as we can in keeping people secure. We want the kids, and the families, to have that security.”

All local officials expressed their concern for families just a few hours from the New Hampshire border.

Democratic Gov.-elect Maggie Hassan issued a statement, with her views on solutions for the future in preventing another tragedy like the one displayed in Connecticut.

“While we continue to learn more facts about the horrific tragedy (at Sandy Hook Elementary school), we owe it to those we’ve lost to come together and determine what can be done to make our communities safer and better, including improving our mental health system and addressing the proliferation of deadly assault weapons,” the statement read. “I join with the people of New Hampshire and our entire country in grief, mourning and prayer for the victims, their families, and all those whose lives have been torn apart by this senseless violence.”